New store ‘has most LED and digital tech in Oxford Street’
inurface media worked with the Sports Direct concept store in London’s most famous shopping district to introduce technology not seen before at this scale in retail.
A new Sports Direct concept store that has just opened in London will host the most LED, digital and interactive technology in the city’s premier Oxford Street shopping district.
Parent company Frasers Group worked with inurface media to develop the concept at the 50,000 sq ft store, to make the space an immersive destination, featuring technology never seen before in this setting.
Visually striking and engaging to passers-by, the journey continues as customers enter into the store. Upon entering the store customers are greeted with rotating LED pillars, an LED floor to ceiling wrap reveal, LED plinths, LED rafts and LED tickers. Spread over four floors, the touchscreen tablets, interactive displays and huge video displays total over 100 million pixels, with each display powered by intelligent, data-driven technology.
Working with partner company We Are Interact and creative design agencies The One Off and Brinkworth Designs, inurface used digital technology to help transform the Sports Direct store as a whole, as well as individually working with brands such as Adidas, Puma, Nike and Under Armour.
Among the innovative installation features are:
- Rotating LED pillar window displays can function as two large-scale LED screen displays or eight individual rotating LED pillars that move in one fluid motion to display animations that are symmetrical on both sides. This has never been produced before on this scale in a retail environment.
- A kids’ selfie mirror allows children to appear virtually in their favourite team kit and use snap mask filters to take still images and boomerang selfies using intelligent technology. Users can then send the content to a personal device to take it away with them.
- A bespoke jump booth will play on users sporting competitiveness and measure just how high they can jump using body recognition technology. The installation then creates a slow-motion playback and allows individuals to cement their positions on a leader board and take the content away with them too.
- Lift-and-learn technologies give users the opportunity to interact physically with products. When the user lifts the item, digital content is triggered on LED screens to provide the user with information about the product.
In addition to these immediately visible features the store boasts an underframe of technology which ensures the smooth, and intelligent, running of the operation. This allow the Sports Direct team, both in store and from head office, to act on the information gathered and edit accordingly to ensure visits are converted to sales.
Intelligent displays mean visuals can be instantaneously changed based on reactions from the viewer. Heat mapping can also be analysed through an in-store camera system allowing for ongoing monitoring and modifications to gain the most out of the space available. Understanding customer flow, dwell time and metrics such as age, gender and mood is key for future store planning and gaining deep insights into customer habits.
Josh Bunce, CEO of inurface media, commented: “Working with Sports Direct always allows us to push the limits and experiment which means the end results are exciting, unique and ground-breaking in their field. With the Oxford Street install we have created bespoke installations and pushed technologies to their max to deliver the ultimate customer experience. It’s an exciting time for the changing face of retail and we can’t wait for our technology to be in the centre of it.”
Michael Murray, group head of elevation at Sports Direct, added: “inurface media have helped us channel our new vision and purpose into creating a globally recognised retail destination filled with digitally immersive technology. The addition of interactive digital touchpoints transforms our store into a true experiential hub. This new flagship revolutionises the way we shop for kit and reinforces our position as the leading destination for sport.”
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Posted: 28th June 2021